Kat Chowhttp://knau.org
enA 'Show Boat' With An Asian-American Cast Hits The Rockshttp://knau.org/post/show-boat-asian-american-cast-hits-rocks
<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh9WayN7R-s</p>Sat, 28 Feb 2015 15:03:00 +0000Kat Chow59447 at http://knau.orgAfrican Emoji CEO: Apple 'Missed The Whole Point' With Its Diverse Emojishttp://knau.org/post/african-emoji-ceo-apple-missed-whole-point-its-diverse-emojis
Alpesh Patel, the CEO of <a href="http://www.ojuafrica.com">African-based emoji company Oju Africa</a>, thinks Apple missed the mark with its new set of iPhone emoji options, which offers more skin-tone options than before.<p>"Look at their new emoticons — it's all about skin colour," he <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-african-emoji-company">told Vice's Motherboard</a>.Wed, 25 Feb 2015 18:41:00 +0000Kat Chow59310 at http://knau.orgAfrican Emoji CEO: Apple 'Missed The Whole Point' With Its Diverse EmojisHere's Where Emoji Skin-Tone Colors Come Fromhttp://knau.org/post/heres-where-emoji-skin-tone-colors-come
In emoji news (one of my favorite types of weird news, ever): Apple this week <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/02/23/388575181/in-beta-release-apple-introduces-new-racially-diverse-emojis">released a beta operating system to its testers</a> that finally includes noticeably browner — and, um, yellower — choices.<p>So how did Unicode, the consortium that sets the standard for emojis, settle on particular colors for their icons?Tue, 24 Feb 2015 21:47:00 +0000Kat Chow59280 at http://knau.orgHere's Where Emoji Skin-Tone Colors Come FromOscars Voter Says 'Selma' Cast's 'I Can't Breathe' Tees Were 'Offensive'http://knau.org/post/oscars-voter-says-selma-casts-i-cant-breathe-tees-were-offensive
The Hollywood Reporter is doing a series of interviews with voting members of the academy, the folks who decide who gets an Oscar. Yesterday's (anonymous) interviewee had <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/brutally-honest-oscar-ballot-2015-773902">this</a> to say about why <em>Selma</em> didn't get a nod:<p><blockquote><p>"First, let me say that I'm tired of all of this talk about 'snubs' — I thought for every one of [the snubs] there was a justifiable reason. What no one wants to say out loud is that <em>Selma</em> is a well-crafted movie, but there's no art to it.Thu, 19 Feb 2015 21:20:00 +0000Kat Chow59063 at http://knau.orgOscars Voter Says 'Selma' Cast's 'I Can't Breathe' Tees Were 'Offensive'After a Racial Attack, A South Philly School Tries to Healhttp://knau.org/post/after-racial-attack-south-philly-school-tries-heal
In December 2009, 30 students at a high school in South Philadelphia, mostly recent Asian immigrants, were <a href="http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/78452-south-philly-high-five-years-later-stability-replaces-deliberate-indifference?linktype=hp_impact">beaten up</a> at school by their peers. Several had to be hospitalized.Wed, 18 Feb 2015 21:21:00 +0000Kat Chow59021 at http://knau.orgAfter a Racial Attack, A South Philly School Tries to HealSome Thoughtful Words — And Many Unanswered Questions — After Chapel Hillhttp://knau.org/post/some-thoughtful-words-and-many-unanswered-questions-after-chapel-hill
Since the killing of three young Muslims in Chapel Hill, N.C., last week, a grand jury has <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/feb/16/craig-hicks-indicted-over-north-carolina-shooting-of-three-muslim-students">indicted the victims' neighbor Craig Hicks for the murders of Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, Deah Shaddy Barakat and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha</a>.Tue, 17 Feb 2015 20:51:00 +0000Kat Chow58974 at http://knau.orgSome Thoughtful Words — And Many Unanswered Questions — After Chapel Hill'Community' Actor Ken Jeong Might Be Getting His Own Showhttp://knau.org/post/community-actor-ken-jeong-might-be-getting-his-own-show
There's more good news in Asian-American TV land.<p>ABC recently greenlighted a pilot starring Ken Jeong, best known as quirky Spanish language teacher Señor Chang in Community, also <em>The Hangover</em> villain Mr. Chow. Jeong, who <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/dec/05/ken-jeong-crazy-guy-hangover-trilogy">worked as a doctor for seven years</a> before turning to acting, will play a frustrated MD who's struggling to keep the rest of his life afloat.<p>The AV Club, which reports that <em>Dr.Thu, 12 Feb 2015 19:12:00 +0000Kat Chow58779 at http://knau.orgOne Of The Chapel Hill Victims Was Raising Funds To Help Syrian Refugeeshttp://knau.org/post/one-chapel-hill-victims-was-raising-funds-help-syrian-refugees
On Tuesday night, three young Muslims were shot dead near the University of North Carolina's Chapel Hill campus.<p>From member station <a href="http://wunc.org/post/chapel-hill-shooting-what-we-know-so-far">WUNC</a>:<p><blockquote><p>"46-year-old Craig Stephen Hicks has been charged with 3 counts of 1st Degree Murder for the murders of Deah Barakat, a second-year student [at UNC] in the School of Dentistry and his wife, Yusor, who had planned to begin her dental studies here in the fall.Wed, 11 Feb 2015 17:10:00 +0000Kat Chow58722 at http://knau.orgOne Of The Chapel Hill Victims Was Raising Funds To Help Syrian RefugeesGraphic Novelist Adrian Tomine Takes On The Notorious Long Duk Donghttp://knau.org/post/graphic-novelist-adrian-tomine-takes-notorious-long-duk-dong
On Friday, I <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2015/02/06/384307677/whats-so-cringe-worthy-about-long-duk-dong-in-sixteen-candles">explained what's "cringeworthy" about <em>Sixteen Candles'</em></a><em> </em>Long Duk Dong, whose broken English and social ineptitude left a painful stamp on many Asian-American children of the '80s.<p>Keith Chow, creator of the pop culture blog <em>Nerds of Color</em>, <a href="https://twitter.com/the_real_chow/status/564050648157941760">reminded me</a> that graphic novelist Adrian Tomine took on the legacy of Dong in his 2001 comic "<a href="http://wwMon, 09 Feb 2015 16:41:00 +0000Kat Chow58609 at http://knau.orgGraphic Novelist Adrian Tomine Takes On The Notorious Long Duk DongWhat's So 'Cringeworthy' About Long Duk Dong in 'Sixteen Candles'?http://knau.org/post/whats-so-cringeworthy-about-long-duk-dong-sixteen-candles
<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fjh3TxOHCxE</p>Fri, 06 Feb 2015 21:56:00 +0000Kat Chow58520 at http://knau.orgWhat's So 'Cringeworthy' About Long Duk Dong in 'Sixteen Candles'?